Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Qualys in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Northland Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $146.00 price objective (down previously from $150.00) on shares of Qualys in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Qualys from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $146.57.

Qualys Price Performance

Shares of Qualys stock traded down $0.86 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $123.09. The company had a trading volume of 269,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 394,305. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $137.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.98. Qualys has a fifty-two week low of $119.17 and a fifty-two week high of $174.31. The firm has a market cap of $4.49 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47 and a beta of 0.56.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The software maker reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.16). Qualys had a net margin of 28.59% and a return on equity of 38.52%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Qualys will post 3.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Qualys

In other news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.48, for a total value of $73,227.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 65,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,118,226.04. This represents a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $941,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 225,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,321,173.97. This trade represents a 3.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 26,926 shares of company stock valued at $3,745,742 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Qualys

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its holdings in Qualys by 14.5% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 15,851 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $2,036,000 after purchasing an additional 2,010 shares during the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in Qualys during the 3rd quarter worth about $445,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Qualys by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,091 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Qualys by 6.5% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 29,428 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $3,780,000 after buying an additional 1,793 shares during the period. Finally, RIA Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Qualys in the third quarter worth about $200,000. Institutional investors own 99.31% of the company’s stock.

Qualys Company Profile

Qualys, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides cloud-based platform delivering information technology (IT), security, and compliance solutions in the United States and internationally. It offers Qualys Cloud Apps, which include Cybersecurity Asset Management and External Attack Surface Management; Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response; Web Application Scanning; Patch Management; Custom Assessment and Remediation; Multi-Vector Endpoint Detection and Response; Context Extended Detection and Response; Policy Compliance; File Integrity Monitoring; and Qualys TotalCloud, as well as Cloud Workload Protection, Cloud Detection and Response, Cloud Security Posture Management, Infrastructure as Code, and Container Security.